The Kids Behind The Blog: September Edition

It's time for another monthly edition of The Kids Behind The Blog! I can hardly believe it! I mean, didn't I JUST post the August edition?

The reality is that so much has changed since I posted last month's interview. Liam turned 4, Dylan started 7th Grade at a new school, Lexie started 5th Grade at a new school, Lily started first grade which means she is in school all day, Liam returned to preschool, and Lexie started soccer. And this mama is struggling to juggle it all!

I'm taking a break from our usual everyday chaos to share their amusing answers to our monthly interview with you!

How is school going so far? Tell me something you have learned. 

DYLAN: "Good." Can you expand on that? "Pretty good." What do you like about it? "The day is shorter." What don't you like about it? "That we get a lot of homework." Tell me something you have learned. "Learned already? In what class?!? I'm learning about gasses, liquids and solids."

Mom Thoughts: Getting information from him is rough!

LEXIE: "So school is going good, because I have two great teachers! I learned how to write a professional paragraph, and I also learned how to divide with decimals."

Mom Thoughts: Nerds rule the world!

LILY: "It's going really good! Mom, I only had the clip down one time. Not today. But on the third day of school. Actually second or third. Okay?" What have  you learned? "I learned about 10 minus 3 is 7. That's what it was!"

Mom Thoughts: Lily came home from school yesterday, sat down next to me and talked...for 55 minutes straight. And the clips are the behavior chart. She ends up on Great Day or Outstanding every day!

LIAM: "Good!" What have you learned? "Draw!"

Mom Thoughts: He loves school. And I'm just impressed he said draw!

Have you made any new friends yet?

DYLAN: "Yes." Who? "Do I have to answer who? Seriously?!?"

Mom Thoughts: My bad.

LEXIE: "Yes! I made a friend, and her name is Lexie, too! And also Ella!"

Mom Thoughts: Lexie was in her class last year, but this year they really started to talk. And Ella is on her bus and soccer team.

LILY: "Yeah, I made like...wait, let me think...1...2...3...4...5...6...um...7...8...9...NINE friends. I made nine friends! One does cheer and one loves Halloween. One is Avery and then Alex...Audrey, Addie, Addison, and Jillian. And Michael!"

Mom Thoughts: Apparently she likes to give me ALL THE DETAILS.

LIAM: "Yeah." Who? "Kareem. Dolly."

Mom Thoughts: He better never stop calling Kareem "Kweem!"

What is your favorite thing to do after school?

DYLAN: "Hang out with my little brother, Liam!"

Mom Thoughts: He is going to be an amazing dad one day!

LEXIE: "Lay down on the couch and watch TV or read a book."

Mom Thoughts: She NEVER does this! Literally never."

LILY: "My favorite thing is grab my homework, grab some cookies, put my lunch on the counter, get my iced tea from the morning, and do my homework!" 

Mom Thoughts: This is 100% accurate. And it's usually followed by an "I LOVE homework!"

LIAM: "I go outside. Outside?"

Mom Thoughts: All he ever wants to do is play outside!

What is your favorite TV show right now?

DYLAN: "Fear The Walking Dead."

Mom Thoughts: His days of watching cartoons are long gone!

LEXIE: "Spongebob! It always is!"

Mom Thoughts: Fact.

LILY: "My favorite TV show is Jessie!" 

Mom Thoughts: She has watched every episode on Netflix multiple times!

LIAM: "Elmo."

Mom Thoughts: Liam doesn't watch TV. At all. His answer was prompted by Lexie!

Do you have any pets? Tell me about them.

DYLAN: "Yes. A fish and a rabbit. The fish really doesn't do anything except swim. The bunny is fuzzy and fun to play with. The bunny is Arctic and the fish is Skirt."

Mom Thoughts: He bought the fish with his own money, and takes care of it on his own, so I had NO say in the name!

LEXIE: "Yeah! Bernie Sanders. And my Spongebob hermit crab. Named Spongebob!"

Mom Thoughts: Yes, she has a bunny named Bernie Sanders.

LILY: "Yes! Four bunnies. One is a baby and black and little! Two are girls and two are boys. Oh, yeah, the hermit crabs! We have FOUR!"

Mom Thoughts: Apparently 4 is the magic number!

LIAM: "Hop Hops! Wabs!"

Mom Thoughts: Translation: Bunnies and crabs.

Yet another entertaining edition of The Kids Behind The Blog! Stay tuned for next month's interview!

I'm linking up HERE for The Kids Behind The Blog.

Liam at 22 Months

Liam Dayne
22 Months
21 lbs (estimate)
31 inches (estimate)



Milestones:  Walking more, standing longer, climbing on EVERYTHING, and saying more words. Huge developmental leaps this month!!! I think he's going to be walking full-time when he turns 2 next month!




Tooth Count:  Still just 8!



Eating:  3 self-fed meals a day plus 2-3 small snacks.  Drinks out of a straw cup and nurses a few nights a week for just a few minutes.  He's almost completely weaned and he's doing it on his own!




Favorite Foods:  Bananas, Watermelon, Cereal Bars, Yogurt, Pasta with Marinara or Alfredo Sauce, Macaroni and Cheese, Cornbread, Macaroni and Cheese, Yogurt Melts, Applesauce, and Tapioca Pudding.



Sleeping:  He's a wonderful sleeper!  He sleeps 12-14 hours a night and takes a nap every afternoon for 1-2 hours. I almost feel guilty when other moms ask how he's sleeping! Almost.



Words/Signs:  Liam repeats a lot of words, but he regularly says Mama, Dada, Papa, Dyl (Dylan), Lexie, Lily, Dog, No, Stop, Door, Open, Up, Down, Hat, Bubbles, Book, Hi, Bye, and All Done. I mentioned before that his speech isn't as clear as "typical" kids his age, but he actually does really well. I was so afraid he would be nonverbal, but he's very chatty and very receptive to learning.  He loves speech therapy! He regularly signs eat and more, waves hi and bye, claps, and he loves to sing and dance!



Likes:  Climbing, singing, dancing, spinning in circles on his bum, pushing furniture through the house, chasing after Dylan's remote-controlled cars, playing outside, splashing in his baby pool, swinging, exploring the library, taking baths, eating, snuggling, giving hugs and kisses, grabbing glasses off people's face, making messes, looking through books, speech therapy sessions, pulling stuff out of kitchen cabinets, playing with the edge pieces on his foam mat, and hanging out with family and friends.



Dislikes:  Waiting for food, getting his face wiped, being cold, getting his hair washed, and getting his diaper changed. These never seem to change!



Favorite Toys and Games: {links provided on most} Step2 Neat & Tidy Cottage, Cozy Coupe, Sandbox, Cars/Trucks, baby pool, Leapfrog Cook and Play Potsy, Play Kitchen and accessories, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy's Activity Home, books, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Crawl Around Car, bristle blocks, vtech sit-to-stand learning walker, and his foam letter playmat.



Favorite Toddler Items: {links provided}Re-Play divided plates, Moccs by Olly Oaks, Aden and Anais Dream Blanket, Ergo baby carrier, Halo SleepSack, Ikea Bibs, Infantino shopping cart/highchair cover,  Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi-Straw Cup, NeatCheeks face wipes, Nuby No-Spill Easy Grip Cup with Super Straw.  and Baby Trend Expedition FX Jogging Stroller.



Nicknames:  Miam, SuperLiam, Little Dude, and buddy.



Health:  100% healthy! He doesn't have any of the health issues associated with Down syndrome.



Early Intervention:  Liam receives one hour each of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy in our home every week.  I can't stress enough the importance of starting speech therapy at 12-14 months, even if you're told it's too early.  IT'S NOT!



Wearing:  Liam mostly wears 6-9 month clothing and some 9-12 month items.  Some 0-3 month onesies and some 3-6 month items still fit, thanks to his short torso and small waist/hips/bum!  He wears size 3 shoes (he moved up!) and size 3 diapers.



Personality:  He is full of beauty, joy, love, and innocence.  I've never met a child as loving and happy as he is! We are SMITTEN with our sweet boy!

 

{Liam's Bowtie: Lolly Lu Designs // Liam's Moccs: Olly Oaks}


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Liam at 21 Months

Liam Dayne
21 Months
20 lbs 4 oz
30.5 inches



Milestones: WALKING! He started taking a few unassisted consecutive steps just before he turned 18 months, but it didn't progress beyond that.  It finally clicked about 3 weeks ago, and he has been walking more every day!




Tooth Count: 8, including 4 molars.


 
Eating:  3 self-fed meals a day, plus 2 snacks.  He still nurses, but it's only for about 5 minutes at night.  He's weaning himself, which is bittersweet, but I NEVER thought we would make it 22 months!


 
Favorite Foods:  Bananas, Cereal Bars, Yogurt, Yogurt Melts, Oranges, Grapes, Macaroni and Cheese, Noodle Soup, Cornbread, Tapioca Pudding, Applesauce, and Pasta with Red Sauce or Alfredo Sauce.


 
Sleeping: Liam sleeps 12-14 hours through the night and takes a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon.


 
Words/Signs:  Mama, Dada, Papa, Dyl (Dylan), Up, Down, Hi, ByeBye, Baby, Pop, All Done, Hat, Bed, Bubbles, Tractor, and Bounce. A lot of his words are repeated when we say them, so his Speech Therapist and I are working on getting him to incorporate them more into everyday speech. He regularly signs eat and more, waves hi and bye, claps, and he loves to sing!


 
Likes:  Dancing, Bouncing, Spinning in circles on his bum, pushing furniture through the house, singing, waving hi, clapping, playing outside, splashing in his baby pool, taking baths, eating, snuggling, giving hugs and kisses, looking through books, playing at the library, speech therapy sessions, pulling stuff out of kitchen cabinets, playing with the edge pieces on his foam mat, and hanging out with family and friends.


 
Dislikes:  Waiting for food, getting his face wiped, being cold, getting his hair washed, and getting his diaper changed.


 
Favorite Toys and Games: {links provided on most} Cozy Coupe, Sandbox, Cars/Trucks, baby pool, Leapfrog Cook and Play Potsy, Play Kitchen and accessories, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy's Activity Home, books, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Crawl Around Car, bristle blocks, vtech sit-to-stand learning walker, and his foam letter playmat.  He loves to play peek-a-boo!




Favorite Gear: {links provided} Huggies Clutch 'N' Clean, Aden and Anais Dream Blanket, Ergo baby carrier, Halo SleepSack, Ikea Bibs, Infantino shopping cart/highchair cover,  Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi-Straw Cup, and Nuby No-Spill Easy Grip Cup with Super Straw.


 
Nicknames:  Miam, SuperLiam, Little Dude, and buddy.


 
Health:  100% healthy!


 
Early Intervention:  Liam receives one hour each of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy in our home every week.


 
Wearing:  Liam mostly wears 6-9 month clothing, but is starting to fit into some 9-12 month items.  Some 0-3 month onesies and some 3-6 month items still fit, thanks to his short torso and small waist/hips/bum!  He wears size 2 shoes and size 3 diapers.


 
Personality:  He truly is a gift!

Liam at 20 Months

Liam is only 20 months old for 16 more hours!  I'm getting this post up just in the nick of time!!!



Liam Dayne 
20 Months
19 lbs 4 oz
29.5 inches



Milestones: Climbing onto furniture, pointing at things in books, standing without holding on for longer periods of time, and taking more unassisted steps between pieces of furniture.



Tooth Count: 8, including 4 molars!



Eating:  3 self-fed meals a day, plus 2 snacks.  His breastfeeding days are dwindling. Most days it's just once a day for a few minutes.  I never expected to make it this long, and he's weaning himself. We were told repeatedly that he wouldn't be able to successfully breastfeed, just because of his diagnosis.  What do I say to that?  HA!



Favorite Foods:  Bananas, Cereal Bars, Yogurt, Yogurt Melts, Oranges, Pineapples, Macaroni and Cheese, Noodle Soup, Cornbread, Tapioca Pudding, Applesauce, and Pasta with Sauce.



Sleeping:  Liam is still a great sleeper!  12-14 hours through the night and a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon.




Words/Signs:  Mama, Dada, Papa, Dyl (Dylan), Up, Down, Hi, ByeBye, Baby, Pop, All Done, Hat, Bed, and Bubbles. A lot of his words are repeated when we say them, so his Speech Therapist and I are working on getting him to incorporate them more into everyday speech. He regularly signs eat and more, waves hi and bye, claps, and he loves to sing!



Likes:  Spinning in circles on his bum, pushing furniture through the house, singing, waving hi, clapping, playing outside, splashing in his baby pool, taking baths, eating, snuggling, giving hugs and kisses, looking through books, playing at the library, speech therapy sessions, pulling stuff out of kitchen cabinets, playing with the edge pieces on his foam mat, and hanging out with family and friends.




Dislikes:  Waiting for food, getting his face wiped, being cold, and getting water in his eyes.



Favorite Toys and Games: {links provided on most} This hasn't changed much since last month!   Cars/Trucks, baby pool, Leapfrog Cook and Play Potsy, Play Kitchen and accessories, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy's Activity Home, books, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Crawl Around Car, bristle blocks, vtech sit-to-stand learning walker, and his foam letter playmat.  He loves playing with Lily's mini baby dolls that are in a mini bunkbed, and loves to play peek-a-boo!



Favorite Gear: {links provided}  Ergo baby carrier, Halo SleepSack, Ikea Bibs, Infantino shopping cart/highchair cover,  Munchkin Click Lock Weighted Flexi-Straw Cup, and Nuby No-Spill Easy Grip Cup with Super Straw.



Nicknames:  Miam, SuperLiam, Little Dude, and buddy.



Health:  Liam had an upper respiratory infection a few weeks ago.  Just as he was starting to feel better, he fell and injured his nose.  Everything would have been okay, but bacteria got into one of the cuts inside his nose and he developed a serious case of Cellulitis, which he was hospitalized for.  It was a freak incident, and we've had our fill of hospitals for the year!!!



Early Intervention:  Liam receives one hour each of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy in our home every week.



Wearing:  Liam mostly wears 6-9 month clothing, but is starting to fit into some 9-12 month items.  Some 0-3 month onesies and some 3-6 month items still fit, thanks to his short torso and small waist/hips/bum!  He wears size 2 shoes and size 3 diapers.



Personality:  Just look at the pictures.  They sum up his personality quite well!



SHIRT/BOW TIE

Isn't he the sweetest?!?